Traditional Christmas Holidays for Canada’s Greek Diaspora

The most important day of Christianity was celebrated with glory by Canada’s Greek Diaspora, despite the inclement weather with stormy winds and heavy snowfall in parts of Ontario, where electricity has not yet been restored.

Some churches in Montreal and Toronto had a night Mass on Christmas according to the traditional Orthodox custom. In other parishes, the Christmas Mass took place on the day of Christmas and it attracted many Greek Orthodox people.

The Metropolitan Sotirios of Canada in his Christmas encyclical referred to the deeper message of the Savior’s Birth: ” All of us seek and desire peace, prosperity, happiness and joy; yet, we cannot find it, because we may have taken a wrong path in life. The path that leads to prosperity, peace and joy is only one: it is the path and the journey to Christ that he himself taught us by example. As God, He taught us that: “I am the truth, the way and the life.” He was, is and always will be the truth, the way and the life for all people.”

On Christmas Day the Greeks gathered in their homes to celebrate this great moment of Christianity in the Greek way. The Northern Greeks roasted pork in the oven, while the Peloponnese and the islanders served turkey and warm egg-lemon soup.

Furthermore, patisseries and bakeries in the Greek neighborhood of Park Extension were overflowing with people who wanted to buy melomakarona, kourampiedes and diples all week. The Greek tradition was once more at its peak. The Greek Community of Montreal hosted a Christmas dinner for the needy and the lonely elderly filling their day with the spirit of solidarity.